Spiritual resources as antecedents of clergy well-being: The importance of occupationally specific variables

Grant R. Bickerton*, Maureen H. Miner, Martin Dowson, Barbara Griffin

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study tests the job demands-resources model's proposal that the prediction of well-being at work is improved by identifying the most salient cohort-specific resources. Spiritual resources, conceptualized as a subcategory of personal resources, are identified as a salient resource for clergy, and their longitudinal influence on the occupational well-being of clergy (n= 399) is examined in three waves of data collection over an 18-month period. Results supported the antecedent role of spiritual resources in relation to well-being at work. Spiritual resources positively predicted future work engagement, which in turn predicted reduced turnover intention. The negative indirect effect of spiritual resources on turnover intention was fully mediated by work engagement. The findings support the need to identify relevant resources for specific work cohorts. For clergy, spiritual resources are important for motivation and vocational longevity, suggesting the need for spiritual interventions among this at-risk and under-researched population.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)123-133
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Vocational Behavior
Volume87
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2015

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